Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Oregon PSR's Healthy Climate Action Team member Patricia Kullberg, MD, MPH was a featured speaker at the rally to #StopJordanCove LNG in Salem on Thursday, November 21st. She spoke of a vision of healthy communities connected to the land and water, free from the threat of fossil fuel terminals and pipelines.

On Thursday, November 21st, nearly 750 people from across Oregon and northern California, including Indigenous community members, impacted landowners, young people, and many others came together to demand that Governor Brown stop the proposed Jordan Cove LNG project and Pacific Connector fracked gas pipeline. The proposed Jordan Cove Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export terminal in Coos Bay, as well as the proposed 229-mile Pacific Connector fracked methane gas pipeline, is an extremely hazardous fossil fuel project that would threaten our clean air, clean water, a stable climate, and the health of our communities. If approved, this project would constitute the largest single greenhouse gas pollution source in Oregon.

On November 7th, National PSR hosted the Visionary Leaders Awards Reception and Symposium in Washington, DC. The awards recognize individuals and organizations for their exemplary efforts in advancing nuclear weapons abolition and addressing environmental risks to human health, including the catastrophic consequences caused by climate change, through collaborations that strengthen PSR’s mission.

Among this year’s honorees were Kelly Campbell, Executive Director of Oregon PSR, and Regna Merritt, our recently retired Healthy Climate Program Director. Kelly was also a panelist at an afternoon symposium of Women Leaders on Nuclear Disarmament and Climate Disruption.

On November 13th, 2019, Portland City Council adopted two resolutions in support of peace and diplomacy. Introduced by Commissioner Amanda Fritz, the first resolution puts Portland on record supporting the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the second one supports diplomacy, not war, with Iran. The resolutions were led by Oregon PSR and the American Iranian Friendship Council and supported by a broad coalition of community organizations.

“Today, we are sending the message to our representatives in Washington, and the national and international community, that the City of Portland is committed to the protection and health of human life and the environment,” explained Commissioner Amanda Fritz, the sponsor of both resolutions. “These resolutions serve as a platform for our community members to see themselves reflected in our values and priorities as a City.”

There’s a big air pollution problem in Oregon coming from the Covanta Marion waste incinerator between Salem and Woodburn, the largest industrial source of air pollution in Marion County. Right now, the state of Oregon is considering renewing a key air quality permit for Covanta Marion and is taking comments until November 18th, 2019. The proposed permit would allow the incinerator to increase their emissions of fine particulate matter, which works its way into the smallest parts of our lungs and leads to inflammation and increased chance of respiratory disease.

Take action: Tell Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to deny pollution increases at the Covanta Marion waste incinerator.

Oregon PSR expresses our tremendous appreciation for three people who substantially advanced our work over the past year.

Madison Arnold-Scerbo (above, left), our previous Program Assistant and Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow, was instrumental in developing our 2019 Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship, working on the passage and implementation of  the Portland Clean Energy Fund, and representing us in a number of community coalitions. We are happy to keep Madison “in the movement,” as she has followed her year-long fellowship with us by joining the Union of Concerned Scientists staff as an Outreach Associate on their nuclear disarmament work. 

We are excited to welcome Maria, who started her one-year fellowship position as a Program Assistant with Oregon PSR through a collaboration with Quaker Voluntary Service in September of this year. She recently graduated from Earlham College, where she majored in Psychology and Sociology/Anthropology. Throughout her life, Maria has been involved with communities that advocate for social justice and equity. She is excited to incorporate her passion for immigrant rights and advocacy for racial and ethnic minorities into her work at Oregon PSR. Maria will be developing our 2020 Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship project, assisting with the work of our Healthy Climate and Peace Programs, and representing us in a variety of community coalitions. Welcome, Maria!

Dear Oregon PSR Supporter,

This has been a year of transition, growth, and transformative partnerships for Oregon PSR. When I look back at the past year, I am proud to see how we’ve strengthened authentic partnership with communities most impacted by the injustices of climate chaos and nuclear weapons. At the same time, we’ve had more elected officials reaching out to us for our input on policy, as well as more health professionals finding a home for their activism within Oregon PSR. In the face of the overwhelming challenges of our times, I am convinced that Oregon PSR has a critical role to play in building movements for a healthy future.

As 2019 nears an end, the call for action to address climate change has never felt clearer. Worldwide, July 2019 was the hottest month ever recorded. We heard the anguish of storm-battered island communities and despaired as huge sections of Brazilian rainforest — the lungs of our earth —burned at the hands of a far-right regime. Southern Oregonians and Southwest Washingtonians live with the frightening possibility of massive fracked gas projects in their communities. In response to these and other threats to our climate, tens of thousands took to the streets in September as young people throughout our region joined Swedish youth climate activist Greta Thunberg in striking for a livable future for all.